Page 3 of Promoted To His Princess

His gaze narrowed and then, much to her shock, he gave her a very thorough, very deliberate scan from her head to her feet.

The prickle of irritation became something else, electricity whispering over her skin.

Slowly, he began to circle her with the same kind of fluid, predatory grace as the lion tattooed on his back.

‘Yes,’ he murmured, his deep voice nearly a purr. ‘Yes, I think you’ll do.’

The strange, electric sensation got worse.

Calista fought it, putting iron in her backbone and steel in her shoulders the way her father had taught her: lifting her chin high and staring straight ahead; ignoring the way he was looking at her. ‘Excuse me, Highness?’

He stopped circling, coming to stand in front of her again. A satisfied-looking smile flickered around his mouth. ‘Calista, isn’t it?’ he asked. ‘Calista Kouros?’

Another small shock pulsed through her that he knew who she was, though it shouldn’t have come as a surprise. He knew the name of every single person who worked for him, plus those of the soldiers under his command. And besides, she was the only female guard on his staff; he would know her name.

‘Yes, Highness,’ she said.

His smile lost its satisfied edge and became warmer, more charming. ‘I need you to do something for me, Calista.’

It was very strange. The way he said her name made her entire body shiver.

She ignored that, too. ‘Certainly, Highness.’ She was nearly off-duty, but when royalty commanded, she obeyed. No matter how annoying she found said royalty.

One perfect black brow arched. ‘You’re not going to ask me what it is?’

‘No, Highness.’

‘What a good soldier you are.’ His voice became languid and lazy, like melted chocolate. ‘Maybe I should be marrying you instead of the rather unreliable Princess Eleni.’

Yet another of those strange shocks went through her. Marry her? Did he mean...?

No, of course he didn’t. What a ridiculous thought.

‘Yes, Highness,’ she said again, keeping both her voice and her gaze level.

‘And you probably would, wouldn’t you? Like a good little soldier...’ He trailed off, staring at her once again, and she had the uncomfortable impression that it was definitelyherhe was looking at, the woman under the uniform.

The woman she’d successfully ignored for years, just as she ignored the thump of her heart, and the distracting, mesmerising presence of the impossibly beautiful prince in front of her.

‘Luckily,’ he said, this time without the seductive edge, ‘I have something else I require of you. And don’t worry, it’s not particularly onerous and you’ll be safely tucked up in your barracks before you know it.’

‘Of course, Highness.’

‘Good.’ Finally, he took a step back and smiled, and there was something slightly wicked about it this time that made her breath catch for no good reason. ‘I have some dresses for you to try on.’

The guard in front of him was doing a good job of hiding her surprise, but Xerxes caught the flicker of it as it passed over her face.

She was possibly only a couple of inches shorter than he was and he liked that. It was refreshing not to have to bend to look into a woman’s eyes.

And she certainly was a woman. Beneath the black and gold of her uniform, there were very obvious curves, full breasts and generous hips. Long legs, too. Her figure was Amazonian and very like Eleni’s. Which made her perfect.

The rest of her wasn’t like Eleni, though. She didn’t have Eleni’s delicate features or long, golden hair. No, this woman was determinedly plain, though she did have a rather lovely mouth, and her eyes were a startling light amber framed by long, thick, dark lashes. And, with her brown hair ruthlessly pulled back and coiled in a tight bun at her nape, the elegant shape of her neck and golden skin was revealed...

Not that those things mattered. It was her build that counted.

Xerxes studied her face, noting the minute tightening around her eyes and mouth, sure signs of disapproval. He was extremely good at reading people—something he’d used to his advantage in the army before his exile and afterwards as he’d tried to pick up the shreds of his life in Europe—and he knew when someone was unhappy with him. And this soldier was unhappy with him, no matter how well she tried to hide it.

Then again, he’d noticed her disapproval the minute she’d joined his personal guard detail a month ago.

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